A student-led coalition in Serbia challenged the 12-year rule of Aleksandar Vučić. To ensure transparency and prevent self-promotion, the students implementing strict rules for candidacy. No currently enrolled students or those with studies on hold could run, nor could former members of the ruling coalition or parliamentary opposition parties. This left a diverse pool of candidates including doctors, academics, artists, athletes, and activists. The Student List, led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanović, consists of 250 candidates. Candidates were meticulously selected through proposals from university faculties, nationwide reviews, and decisions by student assemblies, involving thousands in a direct democratic process. The established opposition largely backed the student list, framing the election as a referendum on the regime with the slogan "Serbia or the mafia." Despite initial skepticism about their inexperience, polls showed strong support for the student list, making the election a tight race. The students' innovative approach to electoral politics aimed to dismantle the existing political machine.